This the classic game that helped launch the Sega Genesis to the forefront of gaming, and helped start the 16-bit wars between Sega and Nintendo.

The premis is simple, you take control of Sonic and take him 6 levels, each one having 3 acts. At the end of every third act, there is a boss fight .

Unlike most side scrollers, Sonic has no health gauge. Rather, he must collect gold rings to keep himself alive. Every 100 rings grants an extra life, and if 50 or more rings are still with you at the end of the act, Sonic can enter a bonus stage.

Mindless fun. Bascally, this is not a thinking man's game, it all boils down to moving quickly to the end of the act.

The pace of the game. Even today, this game is still fast-paced. Weither it was outrunning lava, escaping rising water while avoiding spikes and spears, avoiding being crushed by a fast pilliar, or finding a air bubble before you drown, this game had a way of both rewarding and punishing you for using Sonic's speed.

The infamous spike bug that occured if you landed on spikes but were still flashing taking a hit. If a flying enemy cuts you off and hits you, than you better you cleared any spikes

If you love side-scrollers but missed this one, than by all means, get this. You will not be disappointed.

If you love deeper side-scrollers like Mario, than Sonic probally ins't for you. Also, if you started gaming with the Playstation, you may ignore Sonic The Hedgehog.

Although I've reviewed the orignal Sega Gensis version, it should be noted that this game has been ported several times, and you can currently find it on the Sonic Collections that have been released for the Xbox, PS2, and Gamecube.